1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to thickness gauges and, more particularly, to a thickness gauge for meat products which includes a base platform, a generally upright stand, a thickness gauge support arm which is pivotably and height-adjustably mounted on the generally upright stand and a digital thickness gauge mounted on the thickness gauge support arm, the digital thickness gauge operative to quickly and accurately measure the thickness of a meat product supported on the base platform.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the meat processing industry, many different types of meat products are processed from all types of meat, be it beef, pork, chicken, turkey, foul or fish. The methods of processing for each of these types of meats can very greatly, but, if there is one thing in common to each of the processing techniques used in connection with these various types of meats, it is the desire to reduce waste and increase efficiency to maximize the saleable meats produced via processing. Various machines and devices have been proposed to increase efficiency and decrease waste in the production of meat products. In general, these devices are designed to effectively trim fat and remove bone from the meat products to enhance and simplify the production of the meat product, but, in general, very few of the prior art devices are specifically designed to increase quality control and thus address efficiency from the improvement of quality of the meat product. Therefore, there is a need for a product which, when used during the production of meat products, will assist in the improvement of quality without substantially delaying or impeding the meat production line.
When the various meat products are produced in the meat production facility, there are some products which must be cut in certain ways or in a certain thickness as per the customer's specifications. While there are some devices in the prior art which permit adjustment of slice thickness, the production team then generally must assume that the slices produced by the machine are of the proper thickness and send them to the customer without further inspection. If, however, the slices are of incorrect thickness, it is then the responsibility of the customer to adjust the thickness by removing some of the meat product or discarding the slices if they are too thin, thus resulting in increased time and effort required to render the meat products saleable. There is therefore a need for a device which can be used to quickly and easily measure the thickness of meat products to ensure quality control and decrease waste.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a thickness gauge for meat products.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a thickness gauge for meat products which include a base platform and a generally upright stand mounted on the base platform with a thickness gauge support arm extending outwards from the generally upright stand to support a digital thickness gauge suspended above the base platform.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a thickness gauge for meat products in which the digital thickness gauge includes a vertically adjustable indicator head which engages the top surface of the meat product when the meat product is placed on the base platform to determine the thickness of the meat product and enhance the saleability of the meat product.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a thickness gauge for meat products which may be quickly and easily operated and which will not hinder the speed with which the meat product is manufactured.
Finally, an object of the present invention is to provide a thickness gauge for meat products which is relatively simple in construction and is safe and efficient in use.